The city of Los Angeles, California may be headed for another costly payout over the condition of its sidewalks, with the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee considering a $3 million payment to a woman over a slip-and-fall incident. Holli S. Breakfield hit her head on a sidewalk in Hollywood at 1254 N. Cherokee Ave. on New Year’s Eve in 2014 after she was being carried on the back of another individual. The man tripped on a pattern of sidewalk defects, according to the allegations within her lawsuit.
The lawsuit and potential payout for the city comes after the City Council and Mayor Eric Garcetti approved a plan to spend $1.4 billion over 30 years to fix the city’s broken sidewalks in 2016. The amount of money was agreed to as part of a legal settlement with disability advocates. The potential Hollywood sidewalk settlement also comes as the city is facing rising costs from legal settlements overall, including a spike related to lawsuits arising from the state of its sidewalks, bike paths and streets.
The city in 2017 paid out more than $19 million in lawsuits to settle cases involving cyclists injured or killed on city streets, four times higher than any other year over the last decade. The city also had to briefly dip into its reserve fund during the 2016- 17 fiscal year due to the city’s high level of liability payouts, which came to more than $126 million even though only $68 million was budgeted.
Have you accidentally slipped or fallen, which resulted in an injury, because of the negligence of someone else? If so, you may be entitled to substantial compensation for your pain and suffering, lost wages, and outstanding medical expenses. Our team of expert slip and fall personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Gilbert R. Hoy, Jr. and Affiliates have decades of experience recovering damages for our Massachusetts clients. Please call 617-787-3700 or email us at info@gilhoylaw.com for your free and confidential consultation. Your needs are our top priority!
